How to Become an Esports Player and How Much They Earn

Being an esports player is a profession that arrived in the world in the last 5-10 years and has become well established as the years have passed. As teams' investments in esports and competition have grown, it has become inevitable for esports players to gain importance. From F1 to Dota, from FIFA to VALORANT, every game has esports players. So what does it take to become an esports player? How much salary do the esports players we see and watch so much earn? What is the average salary in Türkiye? Who are the highest-earning esports players? Let's take a look together.

What Does It Take to Become an Esports Player?

To become an esports player, you need to be very good at a game that has plenty of teams, especially in Türkiye, such as CS:GO, VALORANT, LoL and FIFA. You can then join tournaments organized by TESFED (the Türkiye Esports Federation) and catch the attention of big teams by achieving various successes. After you catch a team's attention and sign with them, if you also get your license from TESFED, you are officially considered an esports player.

What Is the Average Esports Player Salary?

Like every newly emerged profession, esports players' salaries vary. In Türkiye especially, esports players who take part in international tournaments are thought to earn between 12,000 and 18,000 TL a month from their teams, excluding prize money. This figure is of course much higher for esports players who are their teams' stars. Worldwide, that number has risen much higher. There are esports players who take part in international tournaments whose salaries range on average between $10,000 and $15,000 a month (90 thousand to 135 thousand TL).

Is There an Age Limit to Become an Esports Player?

There is no age limit to become an esports player; you don't need to be above or below a certain age. One of the most frequently asked questions is whether you need to be under or over a certain age to become an esports player. The answer is no. In fact, looking at players' earnings, we see that many esports players over 40 play Street Fighter, WarCraft 3, CS:GO and Hearthstone and make money. If you are under 18, the situation is the same. Mongraal (Kyle Jackson), who has earned $407 thousand from Fortnite so far, is only 14 years old. Not only in Fortnite; it is possible to see players under 12 in many games such as Brawlhalla, Need for Speed and Rocket League. In short, if you are really good at the game, unlike other professions, your age hardly matters.

How Much Do Esports Players in Türkiye Earn at Most?

In games such as CS:GO, Dota 2 and VALORANT especially, players earn money from tournament prizes rather than salaries. Although their monthly income is high, it is nothing compared with the success they achieve in tournaments. Among the esports players representing Türkiye, their prize earnings as shown in open sources are as follows:

• ngiN (Engin Kor) (Game: CS:GO / Earnings: $154 thousand)
• Fujitora (Kaan Çekli) (Game: Hearthstone / Earnings: $160 thousand)
• MAJ3R (Engin Küpeli) (Game: CS:GO / Earnings: $166 thousand)
• woxic (Özgür Eker) (Game: CS:GO / Earnings: $304 thousand)
• Xantares (Can Dörtkardeş) (Game: CS:GO / Earnings: $377 thousand)

How Much Do Female Esports Players Earn?

Although most esports players are male, being a woman is no obstacle to becoming an esports player. Here are famous female esports players and the money they have earned so far:

• vilga (Ksenia Klyuenkova) (Game: CS:GO / Earnings: $56 thousand)
• TINARAES (Tina Perez) (Game: Fortnite / Earnings: $66 thousand)
• Alice (Maureen Gabriella) (Game: PUBG / Earnings: $67.9 thousand)
• Geguri (Se Yeon Kim) (Game: Overwatch / Earnings $72.7 thousand)
• Ricki Ortiz (Ricki Ortiz) (Game: Street Fighter V / Earnings: $82.8 thousand)
• Hafu (Rumay Wang) (Game: Teamfight Tactics / Earnings: $85 thousand)
• Nina (Nina Qual) (Game: Starcraft II / Earnings: $86 thousand)
• Mystik (Katherine Gunn) (Game: Hearthstone / Earnings: $122 thousand)
• Liooon (Xiao Meng Li) (Game: Hearthstone / Earnings: $240 thousand)
• Scarlett (Sasha Hostyn) (Game: Starcraft II / Earnings: $415 thousand)

How Much Do Esports Players Earn Worldwide?

Worldwide, the picture is very different. In the world where the game that pays the most is DOTA 2, esports players' tournament earnings so far exceed seven figures. Here are the highest-earning esports players in open sources:

DOTA 2

• Topson (Earnings: $5.6 million)
• Ceb (Earnings: $5.7 million)
• ana (Earnings: $6 million)
• JerAx (Earnings: $6.4 million)
• N0tail (Earnings: $7.1 million)

CS:GO

• Magisk (Earnings: $1.5 million)
• gla1ve (Earnings: $1.7 million)
• Xyp9x (Earnings: $1.9 million)
• dev1ce (Earnings: $1.9 million)
• dupreeh (Earnings: $1.9 million)

Fortnite

• EpikWhale (Earnings: $1.3 million)
• Nyhrox (Earnings: $1.5 million)
• psalm (Earnings: $1.8 million)
• Aqua (Earnings: $1.9 million)
• Bugha (Earnings: $3.1 million)

League of Legends

• Bengi (Earnings: $810 thousand)
• Wolf (Earnings: $913 thousand)
• Bang (Earnings: $915 thousand)
• Duke (Earnings: $954 thousand)
• Faker (Earnings: $1.3 million)

VALORANT

• Tenz (Earnings: $97 thousand)
• dapr (Earnings: $106 thousand)
• SicK (Earnings: $106 thousand)
• ShahZam (Earnings: $107 thousand)
• zombs (Earnings: $107 thousand)

These are the highest-earning esports players in the world and in Türkiye. If you want to become an esports player too, keep this information in mind, don't miss TESFED's tournaments and follow teams' player searches in the game you play!